Actually, they was talk of not doing an 1897 flashback but instead introducing Quentin as a modern day character - and interestingly, he would have had ties to both Barnabas and Angelique. They planned to feature Quentin very heavily, as well as develop Roger's background, his romance with Maggie, and delve into Laura, making her an integral part of the show (all of which might have pleased those who felt that the first season was too dominated by Barnabas). And with MTW's character having a connection to Quentin, that would have brought Vicki into the Quentin storyline as well, which would have been a departure from the original show as Vicki was barely around before she was written out on the original. And let's not forget that they planned to explore Vicki's true connection to Elizabeth.
All in all it sounds like it would have been fascinating. But alas...